Meet our new editor: Isobel Cootes

We are delighted to announce Isobel Cootes as the new The Football Sack editor where she is the first female to take on the position.

Having joined us from Fairfax’s Port Lincoln Times, where she had stints as senior journalist and acting editor, Isobel will oversee our editorial team and the successful TFS Internship Program.

With vast experience in the industry (including stints at ABC Grandstand, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Newcastle Herald) and a rich football knowledge having played for the U17 Matildas, she will be a great mentor to the next crop of talented writers coming through TFS.

Sixty-six ‘graduates’ have come through the program and gone on to employment in the industry. Isobel herself is one of those graduates having come through the TFS program in 2016 when she covered the Newcastle Jets.

“TFS played a huge role in my development as a journalist and I’m very excited to take on the role at a place that shares my love of the game and gives upcoming journalists a platform,” she said.

“Most internships don’t give you the same first-hand experience, responsibility and access to some of the best footballers, coaches and journalists in Australia like TFS does.

“I encourage any aspiring football or sports journalists to apply, it’ll be the best decision you make.”

The program gives talented young writers the opportunity to experience the working environment of an accredited deadline journalist while receiving regular feedback and mentorship from industry professionals at the same time.

We have a proud history of developing writers through the TFS Internship Program and we look forward to Isobel coming on board to further improve the program.